All My CDs, pt 8: Yellow Submarine

This album was technically mis-shelved and belongs much later in the alphabet, since I generally shelve soundtracks by the title of the movie rather than the name of the artist. But I promised I’d review my CDs in the order they’re currently shelved, so here it is.

Yellow Submarine - The Beatles (soundtrack)

If you’ve never seen the all-ages animated film Yellow Submarine, and you like the Beatles, do yourself a favor and check it out. Like the live-action Beatles movies, it’s weird, it’s fun, and the music is beautiful. Unlike the live-action movies, it’s one of the most visually interesting movies I’ve ever seen, since the animation incorporates a broad variety of styles and techniques to create an artful and psychadelic experience to match the bizarre and clever writing. It was one of my favorite movies as a child, and remains stimulating and enjoyable well into adulthood. (It also has bonus footage after the credits, despite being made a good few decades before that was cool.)

That said, I must say I’m a bit disappointed in the soundtrack album. Roughly half the Beatles songs that were in the movie don’t appear in the album, including some personal favorites like Nowhere Man, Eleanor Rigby, and When I’m 64. On the other hand, some great songs did make the cut, like All You Need is Love, It’s All Too Much, and Yellow Submarine. And the second half of the album contains tracks from the original score of the movie, so it’s well worth listening to despite the conspicuous omissions.

The original score is composed by George Martin, whose name really should appear alongside The Beatles on the front cover. Unlike a lot of film scores, this is not mere background music, barely noticeable except as an auditory mood-enhancer. The movie itself was made partially as a vehicle for the music, and that goes for the score as well as the Beatles songs that were its main focus, so the score had to be able to stand on its own as good music.

These tracks are full of wonder and whimsy and humor, just like the movie, and I can’t not think of my favorite scenes while listening to them. I have watched the movie so many times that the scenes simply play out in my mind’s eye while I hear the music. This might say something for the music’s illustrative powers and its impactfulness, especially when paired with the powerful imagery of the movie. Then again, it may say more about my inadequacy as an unbiased listener. Either way, I enjoyed listening.

Next: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band